The new City of Durham MP has said Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell's vision for Labour isn't dead - it may just take longer to achieve.
Mary Foy was elected as the city's new Labour MP at the General Election, taking over from former MP Roberta Blackman-Woods who stood down.
In a devastating night for the Labour Party, three of County Durham's six seats swung to Conservative on election night.
Now Ms Foy, who has been a Labour member for 30 years, said her experience as a councillor and community development worker has taught her that you must start with what voters want.
Writing on Facebook, she added: "Don’t presume you know what’s best for them and ensure that they have a role in bringing about the change they want to see.
"I am positive that given time we will win over hearts and minds and turn the current tide of division and despair into a place where love, empathy and hope prevail.
"The vision that Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell helped us see isn’t dead, it may just take a bit longer to achieve."
The City of Durham MP, Easington and North Durham were the only seats in the area not to swing to Conservative on election night.
Ms Foy received 20,531 votes compared to Conservative candidate William Morgan's 15,506.
The Labour Party lost seats in Sedgefield, Bishop Auckland and North West Durham - a seat that has been held by Labour since it was created in 1950.
Ms Foy said she was "devastated" by the national results but vowed to listen to the concerns of people who couldn't vote Labour.
She added: "Many people are engaging in the post-mortem and offering advice on how we should move forward.
"I (we) will have my (our) work cut out dealing with the damage the Tories will continue to inflict on our communities and whilst it is my responsibility to hold the government to account in Westminster, I want you to know that my biggest priority will be listening to the concerns of those people who felt unable to vote Labour this time and to start developing a local ‘manifesto’ that they shape and own."
